AUTOMATION IN HEALTHCARE

Robot Nursing - Where Automation Collides with Healthcare

Healthcare has always been an innately “human” field. Doctors and nurses aren’t just treating illnesses; they’re treating people. Human compassion and care is an important component in helping patients recover from injury and illness. 

With that said, it takes a massive amount of labor to provide individualized care. Our nurses are pushed to their physical, emotional, and mental limits every day in hospitals all over the world. As the population ages and older nurses retire, the remaining nurses are expected to provide the same high-quality care under the pressure of a larger and larger patient base. 

That’s where robot nurses can come in. Automation in the field of healthcare is helping to reduce the burden on human nurses so that they can focus on their most important tasks. By integrating technology and automation into healthcare delivery, healthcare leaders can help reduce burnout among nurses and emphasize patient-centered care. 

• The State of Healthcare Automation

Healthcare automation is progressing rapidly as artificial intelligence and robotics become more advanced. Hospitals are beginning to use automation, including robot nursing assistants, to make their daily processes more efficient. 

There are endless applications for robot nurses in the healthcare industry. In many hospitals, robots are being used to assist in surgeries, cleaning and disinfecting, taking vital signs, delivering food trays, assisting with patient transfers, and much more. Some robots are even programmed to help keep patients company, staving off loneliness for long-term patients. 

Many of the tasks that robots are taking over do not require the expertise and skill of a human. These innovative solutions can allow nurses to care for more patients without sacrificing quality or nurses’ well-being. 

• Benefits of Robot Nursing

Currently, there is a major nursing shortage in the United States and worldwide. As the baby boomer generation ages, their health needs are becoming more complex. At the same time, nurses from this generation are retiring. On top of that, many nurses are experiencing burnout and choosing to leave the profession for the sake of their own mental and physical health. 

Because of this, one of the most important benefits of robot nurses is supporting human nurses. It is critical that we keep experienced nurses in the field and come up with solutions to the nurse burnout crisis. Robot nurses can be part of the solution by reducing some routine tasks that nurses perform. 

Robots can also help to improve overall patient care. By automating patient monitoring, doctors and nurses can get more timely updates when there is a change in a patient’s condition. This can sometimes mean the difference between life and death, saving lives and ensuring that patients get human care when they need it most. 

Another important benefit of using robots and other forms of automation in healthcare is streamlining care. Robots can perform tasks efficiently and are less prone to error than human nurses, at least when it comes to straightforward tasks. They can also reduce risks for nurses by taking on dirty or dangerous tasks, such as cleaning and sanitizing or monitoring patients with infectious diseases.

• The Challenges and Concerns of Using Automation in Healthcare 

Of course, any kind of disruption within healthcare will come with some challenges. When it comes to artificial intelligence, robotics, and automation, there are a range of concerns and potential roadblocks that healthcare leaders need to consider. 

The most obvious issue with using robotics in nursing is the ethical dilemmas that come up. Is it fair to have robotic nurses come in and expect human nurses to adapt? How much training and support should they get when integrating automation? Will robotic nurses eventually replace human nurses? 

There’s also the privacy and data security angle. Sensitive patient data is protected by law and when you have more devices connected to the internet, there are more opportunities for that data to be compromised. Healthcare organizations have to have a robust technological and security infrastructure to safely support these tech tools.

• Preparing for the Future of Healthcare

Technology has always been a part of the healthcare landscape, but the pace is accelerating. Today, coders and programmers are becoming as necessary as healthcare workers in delivering quality care. As robots become smarter and more versatile, more and more tasks are likely to be delegated to them. 

So, what does that mean for those who work in the field? Well, robots aren’t replacing nurses anytime soon. However, nurses are likely to need more tech skills in the future so that they can better work with their automated “colleagues.” 

Balancing tradition and innovation is always difficult. We need to face facts and realize that our nurses need support—and robots might be poised to do just that.